The Flora of Mount Ophir. 



By H. N, Ridley. 



The isolated group of hills commonly known as Mount 

 Ophir has been visited and explored by a number of naturalists 

 and others, and general accounts of its position, itinerary, etc. 

 have been published from time to time, but no account of its bot- 

 any has yet been given and it may therefore be of interest espe- 

 cially to those who may be intending to make the ascent to give 

 an account of the more interesting plants to be found there, and 

 in particular those from the uppermost peaks of the mountain. 



The Mount Ophir early attracted the notice of the first 

 naturalist in this country, on account of its isolated position and 

 of its being the only high mountain accessible with safety in the 

 early days. Griffith was the first botanist to make a really ex- 

 tensive collection of the plants there. He visited the mountain 

 in 1845, ascending not only to the top of the main peak, but also 

 to a certain height at least on the lower, seldom visited peak, 

 Gunontr Mering. A rough-field list of the plants he noticed is 

 published in the Notulae. He only lived a year in Malacca 

 dying there the same year he visited Mt. Ophir. 



Cuming, the orchid-collector, who also made extensive col- 

 lections in the Philippines, and Lobb plant-collector for Veitch 

 also visited Mt, Ophir, but devoted themselves more to cultural 

 plants such as orchids than to less showy plants, and though they 

 both brought down a number of dried specimens as well, no 

 account of their collections nor indeed of their expeditions was, 

 it appears, ever published. 



Wallace (1854) marched across to Mt. Ophir from Malacca 

 via Ayer Panas and remained a week there, collecting birds and 

 insects. His letters, notes, and a pat er written for the Royal 

 Geographical Society were unfortunately all lost; (the Ms lay 

 Archipelago Chap. III). Maingay made a very extensive collec- 

 tion of plants in Malacca and did not neglect Ophir. He added 



